"Young Master Yi, you...you also like Yun'er?" Xuan Yuanhao and Yi Junhao were riding through the night towards Lanxiang's house. From the moment Xuan Yuanhao first saw this strikingly handsome and dashing man at Ruyi Residence, he had been constantly scrutinizing him with his large, round eyes, filled with curiosity. After much deliberation, he finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
Yi Junhao glanced at the ten-year-old boy beside him with indifference, then said in a contemptuous tone, "Kid, you're not even fully grown yet, how could you know what liking someone means?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Hao immediately snorted unhappily, rolled his eyes, and looked up, saying irritably, "Hmph, you're the child. I'm already ten years old, how could I not understand? Look at how anxious and concerned you are about Yun'er, you're no less than Uncle Qin, and you still won't admit it?"
Seeing that Yi Junhao remained focused on his journey and didn't answer him, he continued to feign a mature demeanor, saying, "Sigh, you adults are really strange. You clearly like them, but none of you dare to express your feelings to the girls. You're like that, and so is Uncle Qin. I really don't understand what you're thinking. If Yun'er really gets into trouble or goes missing one day, you'll be filled with regret, but it will all be in vain."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Junhao turned his head to look at her, his long, narrow eyes glaring as if he wanted to devour the person who had spoken out of turn. He said angrily, "Shut up. With me, the Third Young Master Yi, here, this girl will be safe for the rest of her life."
Xuanyuan Hao was startled by his words and expression. After regaining his senses, he hurriedly apologized, "Pah, pah, pah, I misspoke. Yun'er is a very kind girl. She will surely live a peaceful and lucky life."
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao slowly withdrew his angry eyes.
After a moment of silence, Xuan Yuanhao, eager to try again, asked, "Young Master Yi, you and Uncle Qin both like Yun'er, but I wonder which one Yun'er likes more?"
Seeing that Yi Junhao was unmoved by his words, Xuan Yuanhao took a breath, as if gathering his courage, and said righteously, "Young Master Yi, you should back down. My royal uncle is determined to have Yun'er. Moreover, my mother has promised my royal sister that when Yun'er gets married, she will personally present her with a ten-mile-long red dowry as the Queen Mother of Western Qin. What an honor that is! You will never have a chance."
Yi Junhao was not to be outdone. He smiled slightly and declared, "What is a mere ten-mile-long red bridal procession? How can it compare to my entire kingdom as a dowry? As long as she nods in agreement, I, the Third Young Master Yi, am willing to offer the entire kingdom of Lingkong as a dowry to marry her. We will hold hands and grow old together."
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Hao's eyes lit up, and he frowned, asking in confusion, "You offer the entire kingdom as a dowry? You... could you be the crown prince of some country on the Lingkong Continent?"
Seeing that Yi Junhao seemed to tacitly acknowledge his suspicions with a serious expression, Xuan Yuanhao scrutinized him carefully once more. Hearing the accent he had just heard, Xuan Yuanhao's mouth dropped open. He pointed a finger at him, suddenly realizing, "Could you be... the Crown Prince of Nan'an?"
He suddenly remembered that he and Grand Tutor Wen had once traveled to various kingdoms in Lingkong. When they passed through Nan'an Kingdom, during their visits to the common people, they had overheard someone mentioning that the Crown Prince of Nan'an was at odds with the King and his son, and that the Crown Prince had left the country several years ago and had not returned. Legend had it that this Crown Prince was also known for his devilishly handsome appearance… Could this person before him be…?
Just as Xuan Yuanhao was immersed in his own speculation, Yi Junhao coldly denied it, saying, "I am not. You don't need to waste your energy making wild guesses. As long as the girl is willing, I am willing to do anything for her, even take over the whole world."
Xuanyuan Hao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, halting his deepening thoughts, and said, "So that's what you meant. Then I'm relieved. In that case, you definitely can't compete with my Uncle Qin. Actually... Uncle Qin, on the surface, seems to have endless glory, but in reality, he's very unhappy every day. These years, he's been very tired. And Yun'er is the only person I've ever met who can make him care, who can make him experience the joys and sorrows of a normal person. But the more he cares about her, the more I wonder what he'll do if he can't have her in the end?"
However, Yi Junhao smiled and said disdainfully, "Hmph, a true man can bend and stretch. If you can take it, you should be able to let it go. I didn't expect that the so-called God of War Xuan Yuanhan, whom everyone praises, is such a sore loser. It's even your turn, a little brat, to plead for him. What right does he have to compete with me for the girl?"
"You...Young Master Yi, the death of Qin Huangshu's mother was a heavy blow to him. You can't take Yun'er away from him as well; she's practically his life!" Xuan Yuanhao said angrily through gritted teeth.
"Then do you know that this girl is also my life, Young Master Yi's life?" Yi Junhao retorted without backing down.
"You... Hmph, anyway, I, Xi Qin, will definitely not let Uncle Qin suffer such emotional pain again." Xuan Yuanhao said solemnly and confidently.
At this moment, a smug look suddenly appeared on Young Master Yi's face. He said, "Hmph, we'll see. Right now, the one who will appear in front of the girl is me, Young Master Yi, not him, Xuan Yuanhan."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhao thought to himself, "Why doesn't this Qin Emperor come to the rescue himself? This time, Young Master Yi got a huge advantage for nothing."
Just as he was getting annoyed, he suddenly heard Yi Junhao ask, "Kid, how much longer until we reach that house?"
"The last small door ahead is it," Xuan Yuanhao said, raising his head slightly to observe for a moment, then hanging his head dejectedly, pouting and looking displeased.
But as soon as he finished speaking and lowered his head, he seemed to realize something was wrong. He quickly looked up again and glanced ahead, only to see clearly that the front door of that house was wide open. He quickly looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, "Something's not right. It's still half an hour before dawn. Why is the front door so wide open?"
"Are you sure it's this household? Is it correct?" Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao asked him again to confirm.
“It must be this family, absolutely. Their house has the most shabby decorations for the New Year in this whole area.” Xuan Yuanhao said with absolute certainty, and the two of them jumped off their horses together.
Cheng Liang followed closely behind, remaining silent. He clearly had no way to deal with his master's rival in love, who was as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a cesspool.
Especially last time, I never expected that in order to cure Yi Shangyun's leg ailment, Yi Junhao would actually risk his life to go to the top of the desolate mountain to fetch the twelfth month spring.
After that, he admired his courage even more. He actually dared to compete with his master for a woman. In his heart, he couldn't help but be very curious about what the outcome would be.
As soon as the three of them stepped inside, they began to search the area separately.
The courtyard wasn't large, but the three of them still searched it repeatedly and incredulously, yet they still couldn't find any clues. "There were no signs of a struggle inside, so where did everyone go?" Cheng Liang asked, extremely puzzled.
Yi Junhao narrowed his eyes, his face grim. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Someone must have sneaked into the house while they weren't paying attention. Clearly, they negotiated, so there was no fighting or casualties; they just took the people away. I'm afraid there's some bigger conspiracy..."
"Based on the princess and His Highness the Crown Prince's description, this should be Lanxiang's home, that's right. The people who took them away... Oh no, they must be from Wanjiao Pavilion. Quickly go back to Xiangmanlou and meet His Highness." Cheng Liang immediately understood and said anxiously.
So the three of them hurriedly went out again, leaped onto their horses, and galloped off towards Xiangmanlou, which was opposite Wanjiaoge.
As dawn broke, in Xiangmanlou, opposite Wanjiaoge.
By taking a detour from the other side of Ruyi Residence, they finally managed to lure out Lanxiang's Qin Prince's mansion entourage halfway there. They had already arrived at Xiangmanlou to make some adjustments and rest.
However, Xuan Yuanhan could not have a moment's rest. Time had come to the final moment to completely shatter the conspiracy hidden in Wanjiao Pavilion, and the current situation was naturally becoming increasingly tense.
Based on the information he had gathered from Lanxiang and Yanhong along the way, he was readjusting the detailed strategy he had planned long ago, fortunately without deviating too much from the original plan.
Fortunately, Lu Xian lived up to expectations and promptly verified that Yi Junhao was indeed the Crown Prince of Nan'an Kingdom. Coincidentally, Young Master Yi had also returned and agreed to join them, so there was no need to fear the mysterious poison master hiding in Wanjiao Pavilion anymore.
Compared to Yi Junhao's impulsive loyalty, Xuan Yuanhan's composure, courage, and resourcefulness were undoubtedly the key to his success tonight. He only needed to ask the servant a question about whether the woman was wearing a veil to successfully meet Lanxiang and Yanhong and obtain the most important enemy information in time.
At this moment, everything is ready except for the final push. He only needs to guard the area around Wanjiao Pavilion closely, not letting any suspicious person slip by, and wait for Cheng Liang and his men to return empty-handed. Then he can immediately order them to lead their troops into Wanjiao Pavilion to start an uprising, rescue everyone, and also find those thieves.
Once everything was properly arranged, Xuan Yuanhan slowly got up, looking slightly tired. From the first day he arrived in the south of the city until now, Cheng Liang had made his bed extremely comfortable every night, but he hadn't touched it for a single moment.
She was in danger; how could he sleep soundly? He stood by the window with one hand behind his back, gazing at the direction of the backyard of Wanjiao Pavilion under the thick morning mist. He blinked his reddened eyes gently, his face still cold and seemingly ruthless, but suddenly he murmured softly, a voice he only spoke to her, "You must protect yourself and wait for me."
Beneath a thick, heavy morning mist, in a tranquil and auspicious location in the south of the city, stands the magnificent Wanjiao Pavilion.
The madam got up early in the morning and found Tuoba Ze's personal guard, anxiously pleading, "Where is the master? I want to see the master. Didn't the master promise that he would release Yu Niang if Yi Shangyun was willing to go to Bei Lie with him? Why... why hasn't Yu Niang been released even though it's already dawn? By now, the master... he should have already set off back to Bei Lie with Yi Shangyun."
However, her voice grew softer and softer. She knew perfectly well that Tuoba Ze had already abandoned everything and left. How could she expect someone as ruthless as Tuoba Ze to keep his promises to her?
Yet she stubbornly refused to believe it was all true. Over the years, she had aided and abetted him, helping him commit so many evil deeds, all for their pitiful, meager deal. Clearly, since the appearance of this woman named Yi Shangyun, she had become seemingly dispensable.
Although it is said that "when the cunning rabbit is caught, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the enemy country is destroyed, the strategist is killed," she was still unwilling to accept it. Her son, her Hao'er, her sorrow and resentment, everything he had promised her—he had not yet fulfilled it, and he had just abandoned her like this…
Thinking of this, an endless look of sorrow and grief appeared on her face. Her beauty was gone, her youth was gone, she had lost her beloved son, her own sister had betrayed her, and her country could not accept her. What was there left in her life that she could cherish and that would allow her to live on? She asked herself this question again and again.
A moment later, she slowly closed her eyes and walked alone, step by step, into the crimson room…
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